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Sooooo What Was the Fan Experience at the Indy 500 This Year? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

There were a buttload of changes at IMS this year, and I wonder how they all went over. So I searched the interwebs and ... crickets.

Changes like glamping (wonder what motel owners think of that AND if the glampers enjoyed it), higher-prices for tickets, parking, bronze badges, some concessions.

Early Numbers for Indy 500 Show Rise and TV Viewers, Ratings from 2013

From ESPN PR ..

ABC’s live telecast of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 25, earned a 3.8 fast national rating, averaging 5,941,000 viewers, according to Nielsen Fast National data. The rating and viewership are up from last year’s telecast, which earned a 3.7 rating and averaged 5,735,000 viewers.

Thoughts on the 2014 Indy 500

Helio Castroneves (#3) and Ryan Hunter-Reay in the closing laps of the Indy 500.

Happy Memorial Day. Just some thoughts on the Indy 500 from out here in TV land.

The Indy 500 in person and the Indy 500 on TV are almost two different races, for many reasons. Primarily, the majesty and excitement and State Fair (in a good way) like experience of Indy in person tend to make every Indy 500 THE GREATEST EVER. I get that. Not dissing it. It’s a very experiential deal.

Since I watched here in Iowa, DVR delayed, I can only speak for my TV experiences, so here goes.

The Orange Cone Opines on #Hothoneys and Jet Dryers, Shills Shirts

The Orange Cone

 Leading into the biggest racing weekend of the year I sat down with (or squatted next to) my buddy The Orange Cone, the iCONIC (see what I did there?) Twitter phenomenon. (Follow The Cone here.)

This is my third interview with Coney. The first was in September 2011 when he first burst onto the scene and contains a bit of a Cone bio. Read it here. The second was in October 2012 when we talked about #asskickingofalifetime and his "huge" 23,000 Twitter followers. Read it here.

In this edition, Mr. Cone has ballooned to more than 52,000 followers, yet remains humble and focused on what's improtant, that being #hothoneys.

NASCAR Sprint Cup All Star Race Fan Vote -- Fair? Farce? Folly?

It’s pretty likely that by now you’ve heard that Josh Wise made the last Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup All Star race via fan vote. Yay for Josh.

The reason you’ve probably heard about it, though, is because of who he beat. You know who. Don’t play coy.

It is Now and Always Has Been About the Fans

Three-time Indy 500 driver Pippa Mann goes to great lengths to greet a young fan.

If IndyCar wants to be “on the rise,” every single aspect of IndyCar needs to really believe ... it's all about the fans.

I’m talking about tattoo-level commitment to finding and keeping more fans by everyone from the janitor at 16th and Georgetown to the drivers and team owners to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar board members.

Kenzie Ruston takes the Fendered Path, Doesn’t Court Fame

Kenzie Ruston's shares some racing enthusiasm with a fan.

Sitting at an Iowa Cubs baseball game in Des Moines on May 16, Kenzie Ruston’s eyes sparkle at the mention of Knoxville Raceway about 45 minutes down the road.

“The first races I saw when I was younger were sprint car races,” said Ruston, a native of El Reno, Oklahoma, who is in her second year in the NASCAR K&N Pro East Series and racing for Ben Kennedy Racing. “That’s what I grew up around so I wish I could get in one (a winged sprint car at Knoxville). I know a lot o people freak out about them and the safety and stuff, so I doubt I’ll ever get to drive one.”

If she ever did get into a sprint car, chances are the self-described “highly competitive” Ruston probably wouldn’t be content to just cruise around the track.

Kenzie Ruston: Working from Bondaleros Toward Big Time

Kenzie Ruston

By 10:30 a.m. Central time today (about 30 minutes into her first practice), Kenzie Ruston will have a good idea if she can win the NASCAR K&N Pro East Series race at Iowa Speedway starting at 8 p.m.

“It just depends on how you unload off the truck,” said Ruston, a 22-year-old native of El Reno, Oklahoma, who has been in Des Moines since Tuesday doing media advances for opening weekend at Iowa Speedway. “First practice you’re going to know if you are going to be decent or not, especially in the K&N stuff, where you don’t get a lot of practice.”

Iowa Speedway President says IndyCar Remains "Incredibly Valuable" to Track

Since NASCAR purchased Iowa Speedway late last year, there has been some concern among fans that perhaps an IndyCar race at a NASCAR-owned track would not get a full promotion effort from the new ownership.

Iowa Speedway President Jimmy Small Thursday re-affirmed the track's commitment to continuing to host IndyCar with this statement:

"IndyCar is incredibly valuable to us here at Iowa Speedway for a number of reasons. IndyCar invested in us early, committing to racing here in 2007. This was a watershed deal for us, as it was the first major national sanctioning body to add us to its schedule. Simply put, IndyCar’s commitment made Iowa Speedway immediately relevant. Additionally, the state of Iowa shares great enthusiasm for motorsports, so this was a wonderful gift for Iowa and our many passionate fans. Lastly, this commitment allowed us to build an international platform for our outstanding partner, the Iowa Corn Growers Association. IndyCar’s presence will remain very important to Iowa Speedway under NASCAR ownership and management. Our (Iowa Speedway) ultimate goal is to elevate and benefit all of motorsports, and IndyCar is most certainly included in our plans to achieve success."

Iowa Speedway Advises Fans on How Best to Get Into Speedway

Iowa Speedway News Release ...

NEWTON, IA. (May 14, 2014) – Race fans will converge on Iowa Speedway May 16-18 to watch NASCAR’s elite drivers in the K&N Pro Series and the Nationwide Series engage in a high speed traffic jam. In preparation for “Wide-Opening Weekend,” speedway officials want to ensure race fans and area residents are ready to handle increased race day traffic by providing safe and efficient travel routes and information.

During the offseason, speedway officials consulted with the Iowa State Patrol, the Iowa Department of Transportation, Jasper County Sheriff’s Office, Newton Police Department and a private traffic control company to produce a travel route plan that will allow fans attending events at Iowa Speedway to enter the facility with greater ease and efficiency.

The plan also will include signs and cones to clearly mark travel routes. Officials expect the heaviest traffic approximately two hours before and after each race.

“We are committed to making this track convenient and accessible for our race fans,” said Jimmy Small, Iowa Speedway track president. “Our goal always is—and always will be—to improve the event experience for our fans. The safe and pleasant arrival and departure of our fans, customers, and partners is an important part of the event experience, and will most certainly contribute to the success of our Wide-Opening Weekend events.”